(Y/n)'s POV
"I don't have time to deal with you now."
Adam simply moved closer on his skateboard until his face was right in front of mine. Langa tugged at my hand but I wouldn't back down. Not now, not ever in front of the one who harmed my uncle.
"Worried about that friend of yours? The sooner you accept, the sooner you'll be able to go to him," he exclaimed.
"If it'll stop you from nagging, fine."
"You're agreeing?"
"Yes, I am. When-"
"Next time S is on."
"What are we betting?"
A knowingly sharp smirk graced his face.
"The loser will let the winner destroy their board and have them decide what they'll skate on," he replied.
"...that's...fine. I accept."
"Excellent. See you at our beef."
I clenched my board, unable to think. He must have searched up or knew some of my history. This board was important to me. It was irreplaceable...and I suspected he knew fully well that he had the upper hand.
A slow breath left my mouth before we began walking again. Neither of us said a word as we continued along as if nothing had happened. The music helped calm my nerves.
"Did Reki make your board for you?" Langa suddenly asked.
"No, I mean he's made some adjustments but it...it was meant for my older brother. It was a birthday present that his best friends were gonna gift him."
"What happened to your brother?"
"If I told you, you'd leave me."
"I won't."
"...let's just go."
"(Y/n)-"
"Langa, don't. Please..."
I didn't want to lose him too. I knew what I was doing was selfish. I hated myself for it. I hated myself and yet, I couldn't bear to lose someone else. I would break otherwise.
~The next day~
Reki's mum answered the door when I arrived at his house. She smiled before letting me in, where his family were gathered eating breakfast...only he was absent. His younger sister pointed to his room.
A deep breath escaped my mouth. I knocked but there was no answer. A frown marred my face before I decided to barge in. He hurriedly pulled the blanket over his head, mumbling something like 'mum, leave me alone'.
"Are you gonna stay in bed all day?"
"(Y-(Y/n)?"
He immediately stilled, seemingly afraid of my presence. I nudged his legs over before sitting down on the bed. Neither of us spoke for some time. The air was tense as it waited for an explosion to go off.
"How's your arm?"
"Fine," he answered.
"...listen, Reki. I...I know I hurt you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. What do you need me to do?..."
"Nothing...I'm just feeling tired now."
"Reki..."
"You can stay but I'm not going to school today."
"I'm having a beef against Adam."
"You're what?"
"I'm going against Adam-"
"Is there...anything I can say to make you not?"
I frowned. He knew upon hearing my silence that I was determined to see this through. Neither of us spoke as I laid down beside him in the space he made when he turned to stare at the wall.
A few minutes later, all that could be heard was his soft breathing as he fell into a deep slumber. He must've stayed up late going over his thoughts. Before leaving, I looked through my bag to pull out a few of his favourite snacks and set them on his desk.
I waved goodbye to his family and hurried to school. The odd car beeped at me as I zoomed past on my skateboard. Seeing a small ledge in view, my feet kicked off before I was flipping over it and onto the road on the other side.
My skateboard was in my hand as I sprinted to the classroom, barely making it before our teacher waltzed in. Langa offered a small smile in greeting to which I returned with one of my own.
"How is he?" he whispered.
"Still the same. Won't talk."
"Oh..."
"(L/n) (Y/n), no chatting in class. Leave your boyfriend alone," exclaimed the teacher.
I stifled a groan as the class erupted in friendly laughter. Langa's face was bright pink, his eyes purposefully avoiding mine. A seductive whistle echoed across the room before the teacher shushed the student.
This time, I couldn't stop the eye roll. A small part of my heart, however, wished it to be true. I risked a glance his way, noting the curve of his lips, the shape of his nose, and the bright blue of his eyes.
A soft sigh escaped me as I forced myself to stop. He didn't need someone like me, he wouldn't want someone like me. I was a murderer, a girl with cold blood on her hands.
~End of the school day~
"Where are you going?" Langa asked.
"My dad wants me to check out a possible cafe location with him. I wanna go check on Reki later though."
He opened and closed his mouth as if wanting to ask a question. A soft smile graced my face.
"Come along. My dad won't mind. It's time for some bonding- oh. Sorry, I didn't mean it that way..."
All he did was take my hand, seemingly unbothered by my slip-up. His gaze caught my eyes before lighting up in a gentle sincerity so warm I thought I was dreaming in a world where all the bad things didn't exist.
We began walking in silence. It was peaceful on the surface, however my mind was in a whirlwind of a mess. Nothing seemed to placate my curiosity, and it only became a beast trying to tear me down the longer I left it alone.
"Langa, I need to ask you a question."
"Go ahead," he said.
"Would you treat anyone like that if they were your friend?"
"I...I don't know what you mean."
"You know- actually, don't worry about it."
"Okay..."
I let go of his hand and hopped on my skateboard. He simply followed like it was second nature before we were both vying to get ahead of one another. I cocked a challenging smile his way. He accepted.